Business OpportunitiesThe original blog about business opportunities and business ideas for small business entrepreneurs2016-12-10T00:41:50Zhttp://www.business-opportunities.biz/feed/atom/Laurie Bennetthttp://www.business-opportunities.biz/?p=1785462016-12-09T08:09:15Z2016-12-09T08:07:49ZAs you might have guessed, Content Marketing will be at the center of our e-commerce efforts this year, too.

Why did this form of marketing become so crucial over the last few years? It’s the art of engaging with your audience on a deeper level. You can do so by presenting them content that’s relevant to their interests, values, and opinions. Well-executed content marketing is a great way for your brand to ditch the “advertisement vibe”, which we all know can make consumers feel uneasy.

The good news is that we’re getting better at generating content marketing, according to Forbes. Few!

As usual, this time of year calls for seeking out for next year’s trends. Here’s what marketers predict for 2017.

Customer Engagement & Personalization
The online world can get noisy; everyone has a voice and a story to tell. More and more users are enrolling on social media, so more and more businesses are following. Personalizing your content and engaging with your viewers is what will set your brand apart from the rest.

Adapt to your niche, try to pique their interests and start conversations! It shows your audience you care and humanizes your brand.

Accompany your content with images or videos. It peaks viewer’s interests and captures their attention while getting your message across instantly. Black-on-white text just isn’t that appealing anymore… Whether you plan on launching a product, sharing tips, customer experiences, or simply engaging with your audience in the new year, make sure to add visual content.

Mobile Friendliness
Google says 61% of users are unlikely to return to a mobile site they had trouble accessing and 40% visit a competitor’s site instead. Mobile email opens have grown by 180% in the last three years.

Considering we’re almost in 2017, consumers have no patience for non-mobile friendly emails, websites, and blogs. It’s a MUST for businesses to adapt to mobile devices. We reach most of our audiences on mobile devices through Social Media and email marketing, after all. What’s the point of having a captivating post showcasing your product on Facebook if it leads to a frustrating purchasing experience when on a mobile device?

Facebook LIVE Broadcast
Broadcasting live events on Facebook permits you to connect in real-time with your audience. Plus, the viewers get to see the people behind your business, and not just the logo. There are no edits, cuts, or captions on live events which makes your business look very real and transparent.
User Generated
More than ever, consumers look at fellow consumers to inform their purchasing decisions:
– 90% of consumers read online reviews before even visiting a website,
– 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations,
– 72% of consumers will take actions ONLY after reading a positive review.

User-generated content builds your brand’s credibility while creating a strong sense of trust with your consumers. It’s also a great way to engage and showcase your audience’s love for your product.

Influencer Marketing
“Influencer Marketing” is the next best thing after user-generated content. Consumers strongly value their favorite online personalities’ opinion.

True, sending PR packages to influencers might not seem appealing considering the gamble of the process. But, if your product reaches the right Influencer, the outcome can be powerful. They could showcase and recommend your product to hundreds, thousands, and sometimes even millions of their followers.
Native Marketing
Native Marketing, previously known as Sponsored Marketing, is one of the original forms of marketing. It’s been around a while, because it’s effective. A few years back, businesses were spending 80% on content creation, while only 20% on content promotion. This method is turning around. Now, advertisers focus on the quality of the content instead of the quantity and back it up with muscles.

You can reach out to Influencers, events, artists, and different causes you support for Sponsorship opportunities.

You are just getting started with the plans to build your business into the next big thing. The enthusiasm with which every startup commences is palpable. Every founder has a solution they plan to offer the world to fix a want or a need somewhere. With that said, it is important to note the statistics on startups can be bleak. Statistics report as many as 90 percent of them failing in their first year of operation. With numbers like that, it is critical you have a great business plan, marketing strategy and adequate cash so that your business will be one that thrives and soars!

No one but you will be responsible for the success of your business. It important you know that going in. You will have to work longer and harder than you ever have before to make a go of it. But when you do, imagine how wonderful your success will feel.

One of the biggest hurdles to starting a new business can be start up capital. Not only will you need start up cash, but you will also need adequate working capital along the way. There might be some decisions that call for instant cash (like large orders) or emergency cash if a piece of equipment breaks down. Let’s hope you get an urgent need to fill an order that could potentially land your business a solid, long-term contract. If you don’t have the money at hand, the potential to miss out is high. One suggestion might be to take out a quick cash loan to help you fulfill the order.

How You Can Stay Ahead of Competition

Brand loyalty is a major determinant for how your company will survive. Around 83 percent of customers say that their trust for a brand is what keeps them loyal. So how can you establish trust and loyalty with your customers?

Quick Responses To Consumers

Present day consumers don’t have the patience to wait for you. They only give you minutes before they dismiss you for lack of response – on social media for example. They are only too happy to move on to your competition who is only too willing to shower them with attention. Just a few bad mentions on social media can place you on a downward trend that is difficult to rectify. So be sure your site is running well, you are answering customers quickly, responding on social media and overall running your business well.

Stock Up

Few things irk customers as much as not having a product when they want it. If you are going to grow your brand, you need to be stocked up at all times. No one will give your site a third chance if they visit twice and find that your best sellers are out of stock. Your suppliers should be reliable and able to fill your orders. Remember, if cash is your problem, quick cash loans do not require any form of security and they make decent amounts of money available to you at short notice. So when your credit cards or business lines won’t cut it, check out quick cash loans. There is never an excuse for running out of inventory.

Timely Delivery

Customers will shop online and expect delivery within the timeline agreed upon. Best practice dictates that you deliver the goods within that time or communicate if there are glitches likely to hinder you from fulfilling your end of the bargain. When you go quiet and fail to get the goods in the agreed time, you could lose a valuable client and you don’t want that.

Bottom Line

When your brand earns customer loyalty, your customers will be faithful to you for a long time. Your reputation at the beginning can determine your future. To build a strong brand, begin with a smart plan, good business procedures and access to capital…any way you can get it.

]]>2Laurie Bennetthttp://www.business-opportunities.biz/?p=1785212016-12-08T02:23:14Z2016-12-08T02:23:14Z3 Smart Startup Business Tips You Need to Know

The business landscape in this day and age resembles anything but a box. With the popular culture favoring novelties of any kind (see: Deconstructed coffee and rainbow bagels – by God!), you might have to break a few rules to win over a culture that feeds off of innovation. If you’re looking to take your startup to the next level, follow these unconventional guidelines.

Tip 1: Promote on Unlikely Platforms

If you’re a B2B company, social media would probably be the last option on your list of marketing strategies. It makes sense that most B2B companies would overlook the consumer-filled realm of social media, since their target audience is supposedly inactive on such informal platforms… Right?

Not quite, actually. The companies you’re reaching out to might not be active on social media per se, but what do you think their employees and executives are doing when they go on breaks or clock out? These people probably check their phones for Facebook and Instagram notifications, just like you. In short, your audience is on social media. They’re just active on an individual level.

So, how can your B2B company capitalize on this? Get yourself on social media and build relationships with your clients through creative videos, giveaways, and sale promotions. Trail-blaze ideas that traditional B2B companies wouldn’t even consider. Remember, we live in a society that rewards creative innovation. Those who are afraid of breaking the rules will be fencing themselves out from a valuable and personal marketing outlet.

Tip 2: Recreate What You Hate

While conducting research on your competitors, try to absorb both the good and the bad. Too many new companies try to emulate the good but quickly dispose of the bad. Your competitors’ flaws aren’t just there to boost your ego, they’re key to your financial success. Pay the most attention to what you don’t like about your competitors’ platforms and then reinvent a better way to do it on yours. Soon, you will be set apart from your competitors for all the right reasons.

Tip 3: Cater to the Kids

Rumbling beneath the cheerful aria of popular culture are the groans of stubborn old-timers who will absolutely refuse to cater to millennials. Listen, technology is evolving at an exponential rate. We can either evolve with it or die. The companies that fall into the stubborn refusal to change will inevitably become obsolete.

The winning factors in this generation are always going to be novelty and convenience. If you choose to have one but not the other, then a fresher, more innovative startup will do what you refused to do. Even when you’re tempted think that there couldn’t possibly be a more convenient approach to handling your product, challenge yourself to think harder. Millennials or not, the entire developed world has experienced a complete paradigm shift in the way we receive information. Rather than condemning this new bias towards convenience, challenge yourself to rise to the occasion and cater to your customers in ways that other companies haughtily ignore.

Remember, you’re not confined within the four walls of a box. Due to the age of the internet, the mass market is much more complex and challenging than it was just two decades ago. You’re not dealing with a mere box. You’re inside a dodecahedron, with 12 faces, 20 vertices, and more than just a hint of edge. If you push yourself to think outside of this contemporary frame, you will indeed conquer the startup market.

Nothing is off limits.

About the Author

Anh is a Copywriter for the cloud call platform, Phonexa [www.phonexa.com]. She specializes in writing about SEO marketing strategies, business trends, and other up-and-coming topics in digital marketing and technology.

]]>Bizop Teamhttp://www.business-opportunities.biz/?p=1784892016-12-07T05:40:31Z2016-12-07T01:45:52ZWith a digital presence becoming almost mandatory to succeed in modern day marketing, hiring a website designer to build out a digital representation can be the fastest way for you to hit the ground running with your new business.

Creativity

Not all of us are the most creative in our industry – or even very creative at all for that matter. You also will have to think about how your website is going to look years down the line. Is it going to maintain the most modern common web practices? Probably not, if you design it yourself. New functionality is important to visitors as it shows that the website is reliable and modern. Even with a small vision of what you want your website to look like, the agency you hire can take that vision, enhance it, and bring something to life that you will be proud of.

Experience in multiple development areas

One of the main things that comes to mind when visiting a website is: Does it have a mobile site? Mobile responsiveness is very important to your design. Your users may be out & about, mention your website to a friend, and need to show it to them right there. Now, if your website doesn’t work, do you think you’re going to get new business? There’s a 50-50 chance that you lose one of them right there. Being skilled with software applications, plugins, code, and the latest in web practices isn’t something that can be picked up easily.

One thing that tends to happen with coders & designers is being stuck on a way to implement a new design feature. If you hit a roadblock, not only does your design stall, your business stalls because all of your focus will be on that. Consider bringing your design to someone who has experience in these matters and can put time into making sure your site gets new features all the time.

Direction

A website’s design has a flow, theme, and a proper structure. You have to put together a strategy to take your website into the final stages of its design. Normal progress is built out through several steps, which typically flow in this order: strategy, design, build, test, and launch. These 5 steps cover everything from research to testing out the features of the website live.

Cost-effectiveness

If you’re looking for a specific feature and cannot figure out how to create it without buying a plugin; this would be an example of why hiring a designer who handles this on a regular basis is a great idea. Instead of wasting your time trying to do it yourself or hiring just any designer, consider hiring a professional agency. Are you making a website to get your businesses name out there right? If so, don’t be afraid to start with a great agency. Discuss your ideas with them and the details and see what they can come up with for you. Most agencies offer a free consultation so don’t be afraid to ask.

While looking for an agency to build your website, keep in mind that experience and how the agency communicates with their clients will reflect upon how your website turns out.

Whether you’re just starting out or already on your way, seeing a negative online review pop up for your business can feel like a death sentence. However, with the right approach, you can easily turn your bad reviews into opportunities to attract loyal customers.

In this post, we’ll take a look at how you can respond to negative reviews, prevent them from happening in the future, and build a glowing online reputation for your business that will keep customers coming back again and again. From Facebook comments to product reviews, we’ve put together a toolkit that will help you handle even the trickiest online situations.

]]>Bizop Teamhttp://www.business-opportunities.biz/?p=1740692016-12-04T02:46:06Z2016-12-03T15:08:26ZWhen you need to calculate the valuation of a business for yourself of your investors or when you are in the process of selling your business, make sure you’re performing the right calculations to determine a real business valuation. There really is no single way to determine what a business is worth but there are several things you can analyze and review to measure performance, profitability, and a good value for the enterprise.

This valuation method takes a closer look at the assets and liabilities of the business. The ultimate question you ask with this approach is how much would it cost to create this business and produce the same benefits. The business value is the difference between assets and liabilities. You could review balance sheets but also look beyond ‘recorded’ assets to determine how much the business delivers. For example, a business that offers a unique service or has introduced a new product to a highly-receptive market will have a higher value than a business that simply has more assets than liabilities. The asset approach can serve as a baseline valuation method.

Valuing a Business with a Market Approach

With this approach, you would rely on a number of signs in the marketplace to determine what the business is worth. You might compare the business to similar businesses in the same market and find out how much other business sell for. Ultimately, you would be able to determine the business’s fair market value based on what the buyer is willing to pay for the business. You will be working solely with monetary value figures and using market data to construct realistic sales prices for your business.

Income Approach to Valuing Your Business

Using this valuation method means you will be focusing solely on the economic benefit of running the business. This is not based on money that has been earned already but what the expected earnings are in the future. This can be a riskier method because there is no guarantee that the business will earn that amount or close to it. However, you can make some realistic estimates based on past history and determine what the potential earnings may be with some basic formulas. Many small business owners use the business valuation by direct capitalization method or the discounting method when working with income values.

The capitalization method involves dividing expected earnings by the capitalization rate. The discounting method involves projecting business income for a few years and then determining the discount rate. You can then determine what the business is worth at the end of the projection period.

It is a good idea for any small business owner to learn how to read income statements and work closely with an accountant or financial professional to accurately determine the value of assets and liabilities. You could also hire a professional to perform a valuation as a third-party. These professionals will be able to provide detailed reports but it is important to remember that most of the results may be entirely subjective, based on the nature of the business.

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2Bizop Teamhttp://www.business-opportunities.biz/?p=1784602016-12-03T08:01:20Z2016-12-03T07:50:30ZThe Many Benefits of Having a Business Credit Card

As a small business owner, you probably receive applications and offers for business credit cards on a regular basis. But you may have wondered whether getting one is the right solution for your business and how they differ from other forms of credit. However, business credit cards are the most popular source of funding in the US.

Credit cards provide your business with a short-term solution to your financing needs. When used correctly, they can also increase your purchasing power by improving your credit rating. Use them incorrectly and they can have a detrimental effect on your business’s finances, which is why they need to be carefully managed.

Below you’ll find some helpful advice about business credit cards and how they can benefit you:

What Are They?

When you find a credit card that’s right for your business you’ll be provided with a set credit limit that will allow you to withdraw cash and make purchases. Just like a personal credit card, there’s an interest charge that comes into play when the bill isn’t paid in full each month. These types of credit cards are available through your current bank but it’s always worth shopping around to find the best deals and offers available. This card from Chase is an option for small businesses.

How Do They Differ from a Line of Credit?

Compared to the traditional line of credit, many people favor business credit cards because they are a great alternative with many points and perks. It is important to note that there are also some significant differences.

The first big difference is that a line of credit provides you with a fixed amount whereas a credit card will provide you with a revolving amount. This means that when you’re using your credit card you can keep borrowing up to your credit limit so long as you pay off your bill each month. With a line of credit, you’ll only be able to use the available credit once and when you’ve paid this off you’ll need to reapply for another loan.

Other important differences include the amount of interest you’re charged and the amount of money you can access. Most lines of credit will provide you with larger amounts of financing than a credit card, which is why they’re a more viable option if you need help with a significant investment, e.g. purchasing new equipment for your company. They’ll also have a lower rate of interest, costing you less over time (if you don’t pay off your credit card each month).

A credit card however won’t require any collateral unlike most lines of credit, so you won’t have to secure an asset against them to get the credit. Instead, you’ll be held personally responsible for paying your credit card bills.

You can qualify easily – If you don’t have a good or established credit history, it can be easier for you to apply for a credit card than a line of credit or a loan from the bank.

They’re more convenient – For financial convenience, credit cards are a must-have because you can quickly and easily access your funds to make a cash withdrawal or purchase, which is much easier than trying to find your checkbook or spare cash.

They provide you with a financial cushion – If sales are low or your business is running low on cash, credit cards provide you with that much-needed financial cushion to make important purchases.

You can make online purchases – As a lot of business move online, credit cards enable you to make a purchase through online vendors, providing you with added convenience and security.

They help your account’s team – Not only will you receive a monthly statement for your credit but you’ll also be offered online tools that are great for helping your account’s team manage your business’s finances. You’ll even be provided with a year-end summary that will help your bookkeeper to manage your expenses, categorizing them and tracking them in order to provide you with an accurate budget for the year ahead. It’s also a great way of monitoring employee spending if they have access to business credit cards.

You’ll get rewards – A lot of credit card companies offer businesses rewards for using their cards, including air miles, discounts and even cash back.

You’ll build up your credit rating – By using your business credit card responsibly, you’ll build up your credit rating, which is essential for the success of your business as it will help you to secure bigger loans with lower interest rates in the future.

Zachary Cook is a small business owner who writes about all manner of business topics relevant to today’s small business owner. From starting up to growing and perhaps even selling.

]]>2Bizop Teamhttp://www.business-opportunities.biz/?p=1784582016-12-04T03:21:53Z2016-12-03T03:25:28ZAs business owners, we try to do it all. From morning to night, we run around trying to meet every client and check off as many tasks on our to-do list as possible. When we stop and think about it, most of these things we do each day involve moving money in and out of our pockets. Things like grabbing a morning cup of joe, paying for lunch, making bank deposits and so on. Of course we feel safe moving money that way.

However, what about when we have to move business cash around?

As business-owners, having cash on hand is highly important too. We use it to buy goods, pay vendors, take advantage of bulk discounts and fulfill daily tasks. With this, we understand the importance of security. But how do we ensure the safety of our cash when we need to move money around.

Cash in transit services can be a great way to go. They have become a popular and efficient way to move cash safely.

These organizations are trained to keep your money completely safe while in transit. Money and valuables are considered vulnerable while they are being transported unless they are under the supervision of trained professionals. They can assess threats properly stop theft or loss of your valuable goods or business cash.

If you do decide to carry large amounts of cash on you, a few tips might be:

Be sure you blend in with the crowd.

Drive a vehicle without a symbol or log to avoid unwanted attendion

You want to do everything possible to curb any and all potential threats. One great way to do that is to use trained, professional transport companies.

Most of us, as business owners, do not possess the skills of a professional transport company and are not trained in safety, extreme situations and self-defense. If your business deals in large amounts of cash and/or valuables, you may want to consider letting a skilled person transport for you.

]]>Bizop Teamhttp://www.business-opportunities.biz/?p=1784392016-12-04T04:47:34Z2016-12-01T23:51:13ZIn case you haven’t heard, DDoS Computer Attacks are on the rise. If you have network engineering know-how and you are looking to make some serious extra cash, you will want to give some thought to working as a DDos prevention specialist. Demand for these skills, as well as salaries, are on the rise.

What Is A DDos Attack?

A Distributed Denial of Service Attack (DDoS attack) is where a botnet of hijacked computers and other devices are used to direct massive amounts of malicious traffic at a targeted website, server or other online resources. The goal of a DDoS attack is to either slow the target to the point that it is unusable or take it offline altogether, denying all services to its users.

These attacks are malicious cost organizations an average of $40,000 per hour to repair. They also frequently cause hardware or software damage and can distract from an intrusion in which a business’s sensitive data is stolen, including intellectual property or customer information.

Even without a data breach, the consequences for a company that suffers a DDoS attack can be long-lasting with its users and customers. The outage caused by a successful attack is not only frustrating for users who can’t access the website or service, but it also signals that the organization behind the service doesn’t have its act together when it comes to online security. DDoS attacks are becoming more complex, more devastating and more frequent. They’re a known threat, and internet users are becoming less inclined to cut organizations slack when it comes to getting hit with them.

Rising Demand

The consequences of a DDoS attack generally don’t need to be spelled out for an organization. They are terrifying and virtually all websites need protection from such attacks. This is why there has been an increasing demand for NetOps engineers with DDoS mitigation skills according to leading DDoS mitigation services provider Incapsula. The company recently analyzed the demand for network engineers who have DDoS mitigation skills. What they found is that demand is on the rise globally, with China and the United States leading the way.

China exhibited the most demand for DDoS mitigation skills, with an estimated 47% annual growth in job listings referencing this particular skill set. The US had a 30% increase. Across the globe, DDoS listings have grown 56%. Network engineers with DDoS mitigation skills had the biggest increase in demand around the world, while the need for system administrators with DDoS mitigation skills also rose.

Yet, unfortunately for organizations and security vendors, the demand for DDoS networking engineers isn’t being met by skilled applicants. Incapsula’s analysis found that the length of time these job advertisements are posted is rising right alongside DDoS mitigation demand. In both the United States and the United Kingdom, these jobs are now posted for an average of 37 days. This marks a 79% increase in less than four months in the US and a 248% jump for the same period in the United Kingdom.

Rising Compensation

While this is bad news for the organizations desperately in search of personnel with DDoS mitigation skills, it’s great news for network engineers who possess the necessary skills.

Network engineers of any kind tend to make a good living in the United States, with salaries hovering at or over the $100,000 mark. However, if a network engineer is willing to learn the skills necessary to stop DDoS attacks, he or she would be looking at a raise of, on average, 11%. With six-figure salaries to begin with, this is no small chunk of change. Many NetOps engineers would be looking at an increase of over $10,000 a year in income.

According to Incapsula analysis, network engineers with DDoS mitigation skills boast an average annual salary of $102,000. Networking engineers with these skills looking to maximize their earnings may want to head west, with San Jose offering an average of $145k per year to NetOps/DDoS professionals, and nearby San Francisco offering $139K. Jersey City, New Jersey is also at the $139K mark.

The Bright Side

Chances are, if there’s an epidemic or crisis sweeping the globe, there’s going to be decent money for the people with the know how to stop it. For network engineers with DDoS mitigation skills, that time is now.

]]>Bizop Teamhttp://www.business-opportunities.biz/?p=1784242016-12-04T02:32:21Z2016-12-01T09:37:42ZPros and Cons of Getting a Bad Credit Loan

There are various reasons why you or your business might have a bad credit rating. Perhaps you missed a loan payment or had a lien placed against you. What ever happened in the past, there are always options available to you to repair your credit and move forward. Don’t let bad credit stop you from making your credit better or starting your own business. Bad credit loans can be used by people who have had problems with credit, need to consolidate debt and want to get back on track with their credit.

Bad credit loans are designed to provide loans to people with poor personal or business credit. Having a bad credit rating can make it much harder to find cheap loans, but there are still options available if you want to borrow money and avoid payday loans, which are extremely risky and can easily push you further into debt.

Here are some of the potential benefits and downfalls of getting a bad credit loan, and also what you need to consider when looking into them.

Things to remember about bad credit loans

If you have a poor credit history, lenders will see you as a higher risk, therefore the loans you’ll be eligible for will have a higher level of interest than regular loans. While you should always look at the different loan options available to you, you might find it difficult to find an interest rate you are satisfied with.

Of course if you manage to find a bad credit loan that you are comfortable with and you are confident in your abilities to make the payments, it can be a good option for you and help you rebuild your credit rating. As you make your payments, you will be proving to lenders that you are able to handle your finances and responsibly borrow money. Always take a disciplined approach to repaying the money you borrow – as this is critical to rebuilding your credit.

Things to remember about loans for people with bad credit

Getting a loan with less than perfect credit won’t be easy-peasy, but there are much, much worse options that might seem enticing if you desperately need cash. Options that we don’t recommend – remember that going down the pay day loans route will only make things worse.

If you simply want to get a loan to improve your credit rating, then bad credit loans can be useful for you. Lenders are also likely to take into account many other factors, such as your job, salary and if you own any property. As we mentioned earlier, lenders will see you as a high-risk borrower. However, if you keep up with your payments and manage your finances well, you will be on the right road to repairing your credit and lower rate loans.

Lately, there has been an abundance of chatter around the web regarding the ‘best time’ for marketers to push notifications. Time being a critical component in any communication strategy and marketers are increasingly accepting have begun to realize the core importance of this attribute. Considering this, we thought of making a little contribution with this article to help them out of this situation. So,let’s get started!

Brands across the globe have flocked to adopt push notifications to drive user engagement – be it for Native Apps and Web. The impact of push notifications is known. There is an increase successfully using web push notifications to drive user engagement and hence incremental sales mad revenue. Web Push notifications when used effectively, can help build a loyal audience and drive substantial repeat traffic. and help build repeat users for your website, along with notifying customers about important information likes sales and new products etc.

Quick Overview of Web Push Notifications

Web push notifications are clickable messages sent to a browser on your device. These notifications can only be sent to users who have subscribed for these notifications. As these notifications are pushed to subscriber’s browser, subscribers don’t have to be present on your website to receive these notifications. Users can subscribe and receive these notifications on mobile, desktop and tablet. Read more about Push notifications here. You can also check out this exhaustive browser push notifications glossary along with that.

Today’s marketers know how to push notifications to their advantage, but frequently fails to understand when exactly the users want to receive notification from them. That implies they are not paying attention to the timing for sending messages and the need of the users.

If this is your notification:

And “why did I get it now?” is your user’s response, then you are definitely missing out on time-sensitive approach for your push messaging.

In order to, not annoy your users or scare them away with overly aggressive and pushy notifications, we recommend you follow some strict guidelines to find the right time for sending push notifications to your web users.

It is time to move from the ‘not so time sensitive approach’ to something the users will love.

By the end of this article you will not only be able to understand Why you should consider timing, but also How you can determine the right time to push notifications.

Importance of time for Web Push Notifications

Timing- one of the most under-hyped attribute in web push notification.

Misunderstanding the specificities of timing can not only make you miss out on the potential of push notification, in some cases it may even be damaging. Wherein choosing the right time to notify your users can increase web traffic and boost your subscriber base, wrong timing can simply make you lose even your loyal customers.

Users are constantly flagging most of the push notifications as ‘annoying distractions’ and find them irrelevant.

One of the main reasons- untimely notifications

Hygiene Checks – No rocket science

This is what you can do to fix this problem in the first place.

Timezone Check

Because no-one likes being woken up at 6 in the morning however, funny/brilliant/relevant the push message is.

The time at which your users receive notifications from you is one critical attribute contributing towards the success of your campaign.

Your users aren’t always located in the same time and in many times they are located across timezones all over the world. Make sure the schedule of your notification is in coordination with the timezone of all your target users.

Sending a well-timed push can make a huge difference to your users’
Experience.

A ‘Happy Hour’ bonus during the rush hour to commute home is going to top a ‘Happy Hour’ bonus push at 8 am Sunday morning by a long shot.Day Check

While planning your push notification strategy, one thing you can not afford to miss is the day. If you have a restaurant and you have planned a promotion -‘meal for two’ on Friday.Sending a reminder notification to users on Saturday will not really be a good idea.

There are particular days and time which has shown evidently high click rates for most of the brands. Make sure you are scheduling your notification around these days.

Event Occurrence Check

Customize messages based on the time of year (holidays) to make brand personable.

Make sure your notification calendar is synced with yearly event calendar. This will ensure that you are not sending any important and relevant notifications on a busy festival day and increasing the instances of it get ignored.

Moreover, keeping a track of events will help you promote create festive offers for those events which have always captured considerable response rate..

For example, a push notification for a restaurant review set to go out two days before Friendship’s Day could read, “Happy Friendship’s Day! Have a lovely evening. Here’s a discount code for dining out with your beloved friends.”

Frequency

Know how much is too much for you and never overdo it

And if you do – this is the reaction you’re likely to get:

The number and frequency of your notifications can vary based on many factors. One of which could be the domain you operate in.

As a general practice

An evident 4x higher conversion rate is seen by sending push notification message twice a week!

Here are some guidelines that are highly recommended and followed by experts.

– News:3-4 times a day, depending on the news, it’s relevance and urgency as per your users..– Games: Once a day or less. Now, the most important task here remains to be deciding the right time slot for that one notification. Do your research to understand when are you most likely to get maximum response, when exactly will the users be delighted to get that notification.

– Travel: 2-3 times a day. This number might increase on decrease as per the occurrence of holiday seasons, long weekends and many more During normal if you plan to promote a new package available at your online/offline travel agency then this is good number to consider.– Fitness: 3-4 times a week. Here the quantity of push notifications you send are relatively dependent on the type of fitness your business. If you’re proposing a daily fitness programme then daily reminders are acceptable but as a general practice, try not to be nagy.

The goal behind determining the right frequency for your push message is to stand out in the digital space.

The 3 Tiered Solution-

Sending the right content to the right audience at the right time. Let us break it down further to get a better understanding.

Right Content

The user’s split on the usefulness of push notification reveals that there is still a percentage of users that find these notifications as relevant and helpful. It is either because the messages alert users for things they are interested in or because the content provides valuable information. This infers that the notification contained the right content to establish effective user- engagement.

According to a study at Leanplum, Personalisation can lift push notification open rates by up to 800%

Personalising the content of your push notifications can deliver a 4x lift on open rates, boosting the 1.5% average open rate seen with generic notifications to a much more respectable 5.9%.

Setting the right audience for your notifications is critical as it has a great risk of your entire communication failure if, your communication is targeted to the wrong audience. Creating specific customer personas helps you plan the most effective push notification strategy.

In order to better serve users and not have push messages be seen as annoying, companies need to make a better effort to learn more about their users.

Begin with building multiple personas to segment your audience and reach them in effectively and efficiently. A detailed user persona will help you understand your customers (and prospective customers) better, making it easier for you to tailor your content, messaging, product development, and services to user preferences, behaviours, concerns and needs.

If you run a female centric fashion retail chain and have successfully segmented your audience in personas such as- working class, middle-aged housewife, young mother and student, you will never want to notify all the personas with one push messaging for the sale on babies wear. It just doesn’t make any sense.

Understanding your user base helps you serve them better.

Right Time

Sharing the right content to the right audience at the Right Time.

Timing should be an integral part of your push messaging strategy. This factor should never be overlooked.

You don’t want to send a push notification to your users at 5 am and unleash the wrath of customers whose sleep has now been interrupted only because of you. And for this you need to take care about local time notification delivery.

There are numerous approach that can be followed while determining the right time for your push notifications. Two of those approaches which are indeed beneficial and commonly followed by many brands are-

Industry based time determination

Persona based time determination

Industry based time determination

Domain

Best time

News

10-12 pm, 5 pm

Fashion & lifestyle,

12 pm, 5pm, 9 pm

Travel

9 pm

BFSI

10 am- 3 pm, 7 pm

Hospitality

10 am, 2 pm, 8pm-10 pm

Entertainment

8 pm -10 pm

Education

11 am-1 pm, 8 pm

Health care

12 pm

Persona based time determination

Here are a few examples:

Persona

Best time to reach them

Working class

9 am, 12 noon-2 pm, 9pm -11 pm

Young mothers

11 am-12 pm, 7 pm-8 pm

Middle aged housewives

12 noon 2 pm, 9 pm-11 pm

Students

9 am-12 am, 7 pm-2 am

INCREASING CLICK RATES BY CHOOSING THE RIGHT TIMING

Check this great example of a business that focused on attributes like – time, geo and frequency while sending out push notifications and acquired 125 K loyal subscriber and 12% of their overall sales with web push.

Wrap Up: Get the timing right

It’s time to move from

To

Tailoring your notifications to your users isn’t just about what you say, it’s about when you say it. Finally, don’t forget to expire messages when they go out of date.

You can also watch this Youtube video to know more about how you can start sending local time push notifications now.

Ruchika Sharma is the Product Marketeer at Datability Solutions. The company has recently launched its first product called iZooto, which is a web push notification platform that leverages data for contextual communication.
Ruchika is a part of the versatile team that is working towards making iZooto a huge success. Under the huge marketing umbrella, one of her major responsibilities includes content curation. She has been contributing extensively at http://blog.izooto.com/. This art lover and creative writer enjoys sketching in her free time and dreams of traveling around the world someday, all by herself.

]]>Laurie Bennetthttp://www.business-opportunities.biz/?p=1783922016-12-01T06:12:54Z2016-12-01T06:12:54ZKeeping an Old MacBook Ticking Over

If you are an Apple fan, the chances are you own a MacBook as well as an iPhone. These great looking laptops are comfortable to use and functional, so if you own one you, no doubt, will not want to give it up.

Keeping them ticking over has become big business, which is why it is easy to find mac repair in Miami and other cities across the world. People are far more likely to get their Apple devices repaired than they are to simply bin them, so demand is high.

This is good news for you because it makes it easy for you to keep your old technology ticking over, and functional. If a few keys on your keyboard are sticking, or your flash drive has crashed do not worry because you can easily get the problem sorted out.

Most of the firms that specialise in repairing Apple devices offer their services across the country. You just need to get a quote and, if you like the price, let the repairer know. They will then send you an email to tell you how to send your MacBook to them for repair. Once your device is fixed they will send it back to you via courier, which means you only need to go a week or two without your MacBook, phone or table.

Sorting out a slow running MacBook

However, before you send it off for repair it makes sense to try to sort the issue out yourself. This is especially the case if your MacBook is running slowly.

Often this problem is partly because your device is cluttered with programmes you do not really need. Removing any that you are not using, and running a good malware or antivirus scan will clean up your drive, and could get your device running properly again.

Resolving charging issues

If your MacBook is not charging properly, try borrowing a friend’s charger. Sometimes, which type of charger you use is important. Over the years, Apple have changed the power that is needed to charge their devices, so using a generic one is often at the root of charging issues. Therefore, you really need to borrow a genuine Apple charger from a friend that owns the same generation machine as you. If you do not do so it is easy to misdiagnose the root cause of your charging issues.

Solving startup issues

Sometimes MacBooks refuse to start. Often you get a grey or blue screen, which does not change even if you leave your machine on for an hour or two. If this happens to you try unplugging any peripherals and starting your laptop again. Incompatible hardware can sometimes cause start up problems.

Should that not work try a safe boot. You can find out how to do that here.

Once you have got rid of the grey or blue screen it is always worth running the built in disk utility package. Doing so will help you to detect any issues, and resolve most of them.

Keeping your MacBook, running properly takes a bit of time, but it is well worth spending an hour or two maintaining your treasured laptop.

]]>Laurie Bennetthttp://www.business-opportunities.biz/?p=1783892016-12-01T04:13:29Z2016-12-01T04:13:29ZManaging Cost: The Secret to Starting a New Business

When you’re starting a new business, money can be difficult to manage. If you have a little seed capital, it can be easy to overspend on things that you think you need, when you haven’t explored any opportunities for cost savings. It’s rare to enter a market where you don’t have any competitors. When you are competing, you can be sure that there are companies who have had the time to optimize their expenses. If you want to remain competitive, it’s essential that you manage every penny that you spend. You can save money in unexpected places, and here are a few easy ways to break down your costs.

Fixed Costs
Fixed costs are periodical expenses that do not directly grow with your output. Examples of fixed costs would be your monthly rent, the internet, cell phone bills, and similar expenses. These are the foundation of your bills. If you have a busy month, these costs will be comparatively low when compared to your income. But if you have a slow month, then these costs can seem astronomical in comparison.

When you’re first starting out, it’s important to make reasonable projections. You might rent a large building expecting to be very busy, and find that you’re stuck paying rent that you didn’t really need to serve a smaller customer base. You can break this down further to identify some surprising ways to save money. Have you negotiated with your energy supplier to get the best rate? Can you start with small cell phone or internet plan, increasing it as you need? Cutting corners now can save you a lot of money in the future, and you’ll be able to scale up more easily than if you were trying to move into a new office.

Variable Costs
These types of expenses can be tied directly to specific products. For example, let’s say that you are producing hand-made goods. All of the material that you need to make each product would be a variable expense. If you’re going to overspend anywhere, this is the palace to do it. While your volumes are low at the start, you might be paying a much higher price-per-unit than you would if you were fully scaled up. At first, you might think that this is something you’d want to avoid. But this way, you can tie all of your direct expenses to sales. This offsets your costs, keeping money coming into your company just as fast as it’s going out.

How to Divide Costs
The secret to managing costs isn’t about avoiding your bills, it’s about assigning costs in a way that keeps them revenue positive. The first thing you should do is look at what expenses are mandatory. What can you not go without? See if there are any ways for you to migrate these costs into a variable system. For example, you could consider giving employees a commission based pay. Even if they make a little more per unit, you’re saving yourself from being put in a position where you can’t afford to pay an hourly wage on account of poor sales. The Fixed and Variable system is used by both small businesses and multinational corporations alike and is an excellent way to keep yourself competitive in a tough market.

We recently hosted a salary-related survey, and our results were enlightening. It uncovered some interesting trends within the marketing sector, including the fact that two third of marketers wants to leave their current job.

Marketing is a competitive industry, so it is understandable that a lot of those who work in the sector want to advance themselves by moving on, and climbing the career ladder. However, the fact that 6.8 of 10 respondents were so unsatisfied in their current position made us feel uncomfortable.

Since so many people are thinking of leaving their current employers, we thought we should briefly cover the subject of staff retention. Regardless of the industry you are operating in, there is no doubt that constantly having to recruit new staff is disruptive, and often expensive. Therefore, anything you can do to encourage good people to continue to work for you, is worth doing.

Make sure that you thank your staff

A recent study carried out by Monster.co.uk (read it here), showed that people like to have their efforts recognized. Many are even prepared to carry on working for a company that values them, even if that means taking home a smaller pay check!

If someone is doing a good job, it is important to tell him or her so. Most businesses fall into the habit of only picking up people when they are falling behind. Of course, this is necessary for personal and knowledge growth, but it can make your staff feel insecure as they only receive negative reviews. There should be a balance with your feedback; give praise when you can!

Running a robust appraisal process will help you to do both. A package like the one sold by Cascade H R, has this feature built in, so it is well worth considering investing in this type of software.

Provide structured training

We mentioned earlier that many of the people who work in marketing are ambitious – which is a good thing because it means that they are willing to apply themselves and go above and beyond to make progress in their chosen career.

As an employer, you can tap into this natural wish to advance, and do better by providing your staff with the chance to master new skills. Putting together a structured training program is always a worthwhile investment. This is something that your human resources team can look after with the help of a modern HR software. Most packages now include a training module, which you can be used to set up a training regime for each employee, and monitor progress.

Nurture talent

Implementing a good appraisal system has the added benefit of allowing you to spot people with talent, at an early stage. When you see that someone is particularly good at something, it makes sense to give him or her an opportunity to learn more about the subject. Providing each employee with an advanced training program that is tailored to them is easy using the right HR software package.

Engage your staff in preparing for the future

Last, but by no means least, is getting your staff involved in preparing for the future. Whenever you can, get members of your team involved in work groups to help you to implement new processes and assess new business opportunities. There’s many benefits to getting your staff involved in your business planning.

Like mentioned before, all your staff wants is to be valued – and that weights more than their pay check! Getting your staff involved in executive planning and decision making gives them a sense of belonging and shows them that their opinion is valued by the business and the boss. Engaging your staff in this also enables them to aquire new skills and learn more in depth about your business and values, all while encouraging them to stick around and see the changes you are planning through.

]]>Laurie Bhttp://www.business-opportunities.bizhttp://www.business-opportunities.biz/?p=1783522016-11-29T07:09:42Z2016-11-27T07:09:09ZHow Can Small Business Owners Save On Business Trips

For an entrepreneur, going on a business trip may not be the first priority. After all, there are a whole lot of other business-related expenses to think about. However, think of these trips as great investments instead. For example, you can create new contacts during your trip; the new additions to your network can help you break into new markets and grow your business.

So how can you plan a business trip that won’t break the bank? Here are 6 tips:

1) Ask the event organizer for hospitality packages.

If you’re attending a trade fair, there may be hospitality packages available that include accommodation, meals, and even a sightseeing tour at steep discounts. These are a great choice especially if you’re going to a certain place for the first time, as it saves you from the hassle of planning where to stay and what to do.

2) Select a hotel in a central location or near the venue where you’ll spend the most time in.
This is your next step in case there are no hospitality packages available. Admittedly, getting a room in the middle of downtown may be quite expensive compared to booking one located away from the city center.However, in many cases, it’s worth it to pay the extra cost. For starters, you won’t need to worry about transportation as you’d either be near your venue or near a public transportation hub. This will save you time that’s better spent on networking or sightseeing; it’ll also save you money that you’d be better off spending on food.

3) Compare rates online before booking a room.
A quick search on the Internet can help you score great deals on accommodation, even for expensive cities. Make sure to check online travel portals such as Traveloka since they may offer rates that are much lower than those on offer on the hotel’s own website.

4) Book in advance.
This is especially important if you’re traveling for a trade fair, as hotels in great locations can get fully booked quickly. The same can ring true for flights as you may miss out on seat sales, convenient schedules, and discounts on baggage allowances if you book late. So make sure you book well in advance—say, at least a month—for your trip to avoid any hassle.

5) Pack light.In the age of budget flights, you may have to pay extra for the privilege of check-in luggage. Hence, for shorter trips, do your best to pack efficiently. Start by maximizing your carry-on luggage allowance by getting a bag built to fit in the overhead luggage bin. Then when you pack, use one of those vacuum compression clothes bags to maximize the space in your luggage. Make sure to bring travel-sized versions of your toiletries as well. Finally, weigh your bag after packing to ensure it’s within the allowed weight limit and avoid paying penalties.

6) Don’t be afraid to ask negotiate for perks or freebies.
Let’s say that you’re looking for vendors or suppliers for your business. If there are some restaurants or hotels on your list, you can negotiate to get a discount, free meals, or a free room upgrade during your stay. Vendors are often willing to give these perks as they want to give prospective buyers a taste of what they have on offer in the hopes of closing a deal.

These six tips are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to saving on a business trip. With these tricks up your sleeve, you can afford to travel for work and make the most out of opportunities that can come your way.

]]>Laurie Bhttp://www.business-opportunities.bizhttp://www.business-opportunities.biz/?p=1783802016-12-09T05:14:09Z2016-11-24T07:23:40ZMoney Matters and You: The Many Benefits of Having a Business Credit Card

As a small business owner, you’ll probably receive applications and offers for business credit cards on a regular basis. But you may be wondering whether getting one of these is the right solution for your business and how they differ from other forms of credit.

Credit cards provide your business with a short-term solution to your financing and when used correctly, they can also increase your purchasing power by improving your credit rating. Use them incorrectly and they can have a detrimental effect on your business’s finances, which is why they need to be carefully managed.

Below you’ll find some helpful advice as to what business credit cards are and how they can benefit your business:

What Are They?

When you find a credit card that’s right for your business you’ll be provided with a set credit limit that will allow you to withdraw cash and make purchases. Just like a personal credit card, there’s an interest charge involved on business cards and this comes into play when the bill isn’t paid in full each month. These types of credit cards are available through your current bank but it’s always worth shopping around to find the best deals and offers available (this card is an option for small businesses, for example).

How Do They Differ from Line of Credit?

Compared to the traditional line of credit many people favor business credit cards as they’re a great alternative but it’s important to note that there are some significant differences.

The first big difference is that a line of credit provides you with a fixed amount whereas a credit card will provide you with a revolving amount. This means that when you’re using your credit card you can keep borrowing up to your credit limit so long as you pay off your bill each month. With a line of credit, you’ll only be able to use the available credit once and when you’ve paid this off you’ll need to reapply for another loan.

Other important differences include the amount of interest you’re charged and the amount of money you can access. Most lines of credit will provide you with larger amounts of financing than a credit card, which is why they’re a more viable option if you need help with a significant investment, e.g. purchasing new equipment for your company. They’ll also have a lower rate of interest, costing you less over time (if you don’t pay off your credit card each month).

A credit card however won’t require any collateral unlike most lines of credit, so you won’t have to secure an asset against them to get the credit. Instead, you’ll be held personally responsible for paying your credit card bills.

You can qualify easily – If you don’t have a good or established credit history, it can be easier for you to apply for a credit card than a line of credit or a loan from the bank.

They’re more convenient – For financial convenience, credit cards are a must-have because you can quickly and easily access your funds to make a cash withdrawal or purchase, which is much easier than trying to find your checkbook or spare cash.

They provide you with a financial cushion – If sales are low or your business is running low on cash, credit cards provide you with that much-needed financial cushion to make important purchases.

You can make online purchases – As a lot of business moves online, credit cards enable you to make a purchase through online vendors, providing you with added convenience and security.

They help your account’s team – Not only will you receive a monthly statement for your credit but you’ll also be offered online tools that are great for helping your account’s team manage your business’s finances. You’ll even be provided with a year-end summary that will help your bookkeeper to manage your expenses, categorizing them and tracking them in order to provide you with an accurate budget for the year ahead. It’s also a great way of monitoring employee spending if they have access to the business credit cards.

You’ll get rewards – A lot of credit card companies offer businesses rewards for using their cards, including air miles, discounts and even cash back.

You’ll build up your credit rating – By using your business credit card responsibly, you’ll build up your credit rating, which is essential for the success of your business as it will help you to secure bigger loans with lower interest rates in the future.

Zachary Cook is a small business owner who writes about all manner of business topics relevant to today’s small business owner. From starting up to growing and perhaps even selling.

Ah, holiday shopping season. It’s what many online merchants live for—the 6-8 weeks when sales go through the roof. Consumers will soon flock to the web, credit card in hand, eager to make their gift purchases. It’s not uncommon to talk to retailers who generate 40-50% of their annual sales during the holiday season.

When customers search for products online, 35% start with Google or other search engines. Of those that start with a search engine, 52% click through the Google Shopping results or Product Listing Ads (PLA). As I visit with clients and merchants I meet at trade shows, I consistently hear Google Shopping listed as one of the most profitable and effective ad channels.

]]>Laurie Bhttp://www.business-opportunities.bizhttp://www.business-opportunities.biz/?p=1783762016-11-29T07:22:17Z2016-11-22T07:21:53ZAccepting Credit Cards Is Beneficial to Your Business

When it comes to adopting “new” technology, businesses are often wary of investing their money into something that will quickly be obsolete. And while this caution makes perfect sense, it is important to note that it is not necessarily one that will ultimately pay off in the end when it comes to certain kinds of technology. Being able to accept credit card payments, for example, is an important part of any business that wants to sell their services and products on a mass scale. The increase in efficiency and the larger reach credit card payments offer makes the perceived “risk” that comes with the attempt to integrate payment processing with QuickBooks worth it.

Integrate Payment Processing with QuickBooks

One of the most popular ways to approach credit card payments is to integrate payment processing with QuickBooks. This allows business owners to broaden their reach without actually resulting in more work for themselves when it comes to accounting concerns. That is because QuickBooks can help take care of any issues that might arise, and makes understanding your finances easy!

Extras

In addition to creating an easier accounting method for your business and increasing your customer pool, accepting credit card payments can even come with extras that make the prospect even more lucrative! Some providers offer a free online merchant account, for example, along with the best credit card swiper for your business along with their other services.

Are you looking for an easy way to integrate payment processing with QuickBooks? Merchant Account Solutions has some great options. Do yourself, and your business, a favor and spend some time reading through them and considering how they can help you grow your business. Take a look at them today!

]]>Laurie Bhttp://www.business-opportunities.bizhttp://www.business-opportunities.biz/?p=1783742016-11-29T07:21:10Z2016-11-21T07:20:41ZEvery business wants to stay ahead of new trends. It is not merely a luxury any longer to have the latest piece of software, it is a requirement to stay ahead of competition, keep up with frequent changes, and stay in touch with other collaborators. SmallBizDaily says that small businesses in particular need to adapt to change as their growth potential is the largest, and the cost of failure to them is perhaps even larger.

But fears of high costs and difficulty in learning how to use unfamiliar tech still set many companies back. The good news is that technology has adapted so much that what used to be expensive and difficult to use, even just a few years ago, is now accessible for everyone and much easier to learn. Nowhere is this clearer than in the area of communications, probably the most important thing for companies. Online video conferencing, especially, has aided not only large corporations but the influx of startups, which have sprung up in the last decade. If you are a small business owner, here are just a few tips you can use to save your enterprise time and effort:

Use Conferencing to Cut Your Budget

A monthly subscription to a video conferencing service not only pays for itself with the opportunities it opens up, it could potentially save your budget in other areas as well. Go through your monthly and yearly budget and consider which costs, high or low, could be saved with the use of online meetings. Travel and hiring spaces for in-person meetings are a major one, not only the cost of travel and renting a space, but small costs such as refreshments as well soon mount up. You could also save money in recruiting, marketing, file storage, and a number of other areas if you are creative enough. The numerous services you are already paying monthly fees for could potentially be cut and replaced with online conferencing tools instead.

Utilize What You Already Have

SmallBizTrends says that one of the major benefits of cloud conferencing (that is, using a system that is based and accessed online rather than a computer download) is that it requires a minimal amount of capital and operation and can save time and money across its entire lifetime of service. Conferencing software is an investment, but one that doesn’t have to set a small business with a limited budget back too much. Instead of spending a lot of money on expensive cameras and computers, you can instead save that money for the monthly subscription and use the software on your existing devices. Any device which has internet access and a decent camera and microphone will work. This also makes it much more accessible for staff, freelancers, clients, and collaborators as they too can simply use their own devices to stay in contact with you.

Find Staff Who Are Open to Change

Many people are ‘set in their ways’ and don’t like to switch to something unfamiliar if doing things a certain way already works well. There is technically no problem with this mind set, but when the rest of the world is changing and improving and your staff are purposely holding you back, it is a problem. When you are recruiting, look for people who are willing to adapt to whatever may come their way. Even if they aren’t familiar with new video conferencing systems like BlueJeans, they should at least be willing to learn. Thankfully, that isn’t too difficult with modern systems.

Make Sure Everyone Is on the Same Level

New tech does update frequently to stay up to date, adapt to changes, and prevent contamination from viruses. If you use this technology on a regular basis, you probably won’t notice these updates, as most of them happen in the background while you are working, and will subconsciously adapt along with them. Even when updates are noticeably different, you will still find yourself figuring out how to use them within only a few hours, sometimes even less. Even so, your colleagues may not be so adaptable. It is wise to check in with your staff from time to time to see how they are doing and if they are having any problems. Anybody who has been trying but is still struggling can feel alienated and frustrated. While frequent staff training is a drain on company resources, at least checking how your employees are adapting and catching up anybody who has been left behind will enable everybody to use the same software effectively.

The reliability, flexibility, and low price of modern communication tools such as online conferencing make them one of the most scalable solutions for small businesses, or businesses of any size. Use them effectively to not only cut your budget, but also to save time on employee training and troubleshooting.

Business owners from all walks of life are often idealistic and ambitious when it comes to the pursuit of success. These men and women relentlessly pursue their vision with determination and gusto, and this is especially true when first starting out in their market.

Unfortunately, the magic of opening a new startup eventually wears off and the initial rush of creative energy dies down to a dull roar. It’s difficult for business owners to maintain consistency as far as profitability and growth are concerned. We always seem to get bogged down by the minutia of daily business practices and growth has a tendency to go by the wayside.

Are you ready to break the cycle? More profitability is waiting for you right around the corner. Follow our four step plan and watch your company’s growth begin to soar.

Pretty Presets was created to address a pain point that many photographers experience: editing takes a long time. Pretty Presets solves that problem with pre-made alterations for Lightroom that cut photo editing time in half.

Because the business is so visual, Pretty Presets quickly turned to Pinterest as a marketing tool. Over the years, Pinterest has become their number one traffic source, accounting for 10% of sales.

In this customer spotlight, we chat with founder Laura Thomas about how she uses Pinterest to drive traffic—and revenue—for Pretty Presets.

]]>Laurie Bhttp://www.business-opportunities.bizhttp://www.business-opportunities.biz/?p=1783682016-11-29T07:18:11Z2016-11-18T07:17:41ZAs a business, there are a few things we know that you might struggle with; communication being one of them. It’s often one of the most frustrating things that businesses find themselves having a problem with, and it can feel like there is no solution. Many management teams feel like they are going in circles trying to communicate the same messages to their team.

Seamless business communication is one of the ways you can guarantee your success in what you’re trying to achieve. Without it, messages can get lost and projects can become mismanaged, but by integrating operating systems that work to streamline communication you can eliminate any issues.

Why is Communication in Business Important?

Communication within businesses has become more than simply just being able to pick up the phone to a colleague. 97% of employees and executives believe lack of alignment within a team can impact the outcome of a task or project. As this sometimes is not the most viable option for seamless communication, integrating a system such as Cisco Spark can give you a way to bring your team together, making projects and business communication better than ever.

If there are a number of people, or a number of teams, involved in decision making or projects within a business, miscommunication can be costly. Using a system that has everything and everyone in one place will allow collaboration to become much easier. A lack of communication can cause information to go missing and meetings to be unorganized. It could also lead to certain people in the team feeling like they are not being included.

What Is Cisco Spark?

As a complete business collaboration service from the Cisco cloud, Cisco Spark allows businesses to meet, message, and call from anywhere at any time. It’s something that a lot of people don’t think they need, but once they have it, they realize they can’t live without it. It’s the instant communication and uniformity of business collaboration that works to help you achieve your business goals.

Cisco Spark can help your business unify communication. Here are just a few of its features:

Team collaboration

Stop hunting through emails for information

Command center

Securely message individuals and your entire team

Video meetings

Share and view files on any device

There are many features that can be utilised to uniform business collaboration. By turning what appears to be a simple chat room feature into a command center, you can integrate a large number of easy to create applications in sales, marketing, finance, operations, and IT. Cisco Spark’s capabilities span a range of open APIs which can transform your Spark into a command and control center.

Cisco Spark can assist your workplace collaboration to reach the next level, ensuring your business communication isn’t affecting the productivity and morale within your business. Collaboration platforms such as this are the future in business communication. Integrate Cisco Spark into your business today with Meeting Zone.

Office technology is something that is always evolving and developing into something that was only ever once imagined. As the effects of technology become further widespread and implemented more frequently across industries, we can achieve new heights of productivity and creativity.

In fact, technology has the ability to streamline processes and make daily tasks seem easier, and it’s more readily accepted now than ever before. Let’s face it – we live in the said ‘digital age,’ and it’s vital that our businesses keep up to date for fear of being left behind and letting our competitors get the advantage.

When it comes to your business, productivity is most probably the key to fulfilling your goals. The benefits of having a productive workforce can bring your company invaluable amounts of competitive edge and technology could help you achieve it – if used optimally.

Technology in the workplace

Office Technology is not just the computers that you and your workforce sit in front of every day, nor just the phones in your hands. It can be anything from an integrated phone system to a good internet connection, but in order to reach effective collaboration and completion of tasks to a high standard, you really need to go further than that. You need to implement the PROPER technology. Otherwise, constant and easy access to the online world can create more procrastination than anything else.

Collaborative tools can offer new perspectives and allow your team to work together in ways that open up a world of possibilities such as managing real-time project trackers with your clients in another country, or hosting seamless staff meetings when no one can make it to the office. It can go above and beyond, and entirely change the way you work! Great technology encourages creativity and brings people together in one flexible office space.

Existing processes, such as meeting rooms or discussions boards, or even sessions to come up with new projects for your clients, can be improved tenfold and brought back to life. Microsoft Surface Hub can help make this a reality, but how?

Collaborative devices

Built with teamwork in mind, a collaborative device such as Microsoft Surface Hub can bring departments together in a coherent manner. Providing such a solution to your company could benefit everyone, whether you need a constructive meeting place or just somewhere to jot down your ideas.

Microsoft Surface Hub greets you with a large interactive screen; impressive, but it’s also so much more than that. With various integrated Software, Apps, and features to take advantage of, unlocking the creativity within your team has never been easier.

Large screen apps transform your office into a modern workplace, and enhance efficiency and focus during meetings when you’re all in the same room. If you need to include people from other parts of the country or those who simply couldn’t make it to the office today, the integrated video communication comes in handy! With many features only needing one touch to start, Microsoft Surface Hub feels natural when it comes to usability, even if you’re not the most computer-savvy person in your office. Sharing your ideas on a creative canvas with fluid, responsive ink means teamwork has never been easier – especially when you can share your whiteboard discussion as a file with the group afterward.

Finding its place in many different industries, from large-scale corporations to medical professionals and everything in between, Microsoft Surface Hub allows you to interact both with those in the room and those further afield. Schedule meetings ahead of time, or invite people ad hoc in order to get another opinion on a discussion.

Microsoft Surface Hub gives you the ability to change the way you work for the better, encouraging engaging meetings and extensive collaboration. Giving your team the chance to flourish. This type of technology is an investment worth every penny!

]]>Laurie Bhttp://www.business-opportunities.bizhttp://www.business-opportunities.biz/?p=1783622016-11-29T07:14:59Z2016-11-18T07:14:18ZBranding, advertising, and overall marketing for your business is a tricky field to navigate, but when implemented correctly it’s a proven way to connect with your consumers and even reach out to potential leads. As the public become more aware of advertising techniques, the demand for authenticity increases.

But what is brand authenticity? Why should it play such a heavy part in your branding and advertising process? The truth of it all is that customers no longer enjoy being advertised to in a pushy manner. Nowadays, pushing products or services under the nose of your customer is more likely to turn them away than bring them in.

Engage with customers

Brands now have to look towards engaging with their customers and creating a connection with them that goes further than just a hard sell. Appealing to customers naturally is one of the best ways to create a sense of authenticity, which can, in turn, bring you trust and loyalty from your audience.

By understanding your customers, you are able to engage with them on a much more personal level creating a stronger connection and providing a quality service tailored specifically to them. Often when customers feel appreciated by a brand, they are more likely to invest and continue doing business with them.

How do you achieve brand authenticity?

Consider your brand image. This is crucial to your brand as its how you are perceived by the public; both your existing customers and potential leads who are considering you. Your target audience conjures up particular attitudes and beliefs based on the brand image that you put out.

What’s more, your brand is open to more scrutiny than ever before. Thanks to the increase in mobile internet and social media, customers have multiple platforms to view your business and gain an understanding of what you are all about. The first step in authenticity is to be consistent across the board, with a coherent message that is put across in a way that represents your brand perfectly.

Know what you stand for, understand your customers and use that knowledge to your advantage.

Be an advocate of your own brand

Someone who genuinely believes in a brand and trusts it will no doubt end up spreading the word and evoking other people to get involved. But while word of mouth is one of the most powerful marketing tools around, it’s not always a guarantee.

Utilizing other marketing methods, such as promotional products, can push your brand forward in a subtle manner. Targeting the right customers with perfectly suited marketing campaigns is a strong way to show people that you are there. Whether it’s a small logo on the travel mug you use for your daily commute, or a smart, branded laptop bag; you are dropping hints and creating intrigue that could cause people to search for your business.

90% of the top 100 brands lost category shares last year. This was down to a lack of trust and authenticity amongst brands and customers. Authenticity even proved to be a more important factor to customers than product quality.

It’s clear that honesty and transparency goes a long way when it comes to branding. Trust can hugely impact a company’s bottom line. For example, McDonald’s earned credibility by revealing its ingredients.

To start your journey of creating an authentic brand, all you need is a few cleverly branded promotional products. Contact Outstanding Branding.

Why Every Website Owner Needs Google Analytics

If you don’t know what Google Analytics is, haven’t installed it on your website, or have installed it but never look at your data, then this post is for you. While it’s hard for many to believe, there are still websites that are not using Google Analytics (or any analytics, for that matter) to measure their traffic. In this post, we’re going to look at Google Analytics from the absolute beginner’s point of view. Why you need it, how to get it, how to use it, and workarounds to common problems.